Watchers and analysts alike are increasingly expecting that Apple will reveal its cards at its upcoming developers conference, WWDC, this summer. First, a set of dubious images made rounds this morning, allegedly depicting the iPhone 5S on an assembly line and hinting at a likely summer launch.

However, eagle-eyed bloggers were quick to point out a few glaring inconsistencies, eventually debunking these spy shots as depicting an iPhone knock-off. Then an analyst said a cheaper iPhone model was due in June and now another report claims an Apple-branded television set is coming this summer…

We’re also told there will only be one size of Apple Television at launch (probably 40-42in) and that it will carry a premium price to match its premium design.

One source (who like most people associated with Apple doesn’t want to be named) stated there was “no chance” of Apple selling its new TV screen as a loss leader and trusting the profits to its iTunes Store.

The report goes on to note that Apple’s TV set won’t initially support 3D or Ultra HD due to the lack of compatible content. NPD recently found that shoppers mostly view advanced Smart TV features as a marketing gimmick.

The product’s delay isn’t due to “development hell” but rather:

It’s been held up by video licensing issues as film and TV producers try to ensure they don’t follow the music industry into the digital ditch.

What Apple will do instead, per Stuff.tv, is “focus on intuitive user interaction and its baffling selection of apps, shows and films to download or stream to get its first foot on to the TV ladder”.

The web site doesn’t have an established track record of Apple rumor reporting, but that didn’t stop MacWorld UK and other publications from re-blogging the report.

The story does jive well with what analyst Gene Munster has been clamoring for for years. Last month, Munster told Bloomberg he expected Apple to release the product later this year, based on his checks with Apple’s suppliers.

In addition to the iTV, Munster also sees Apple shipping an intelligent remote that, in his mind, should be an important part of Apple’s living room offering.

The Wall Street Journal in December 2012 ran a story which asserted that Apple was working with its component suppliers in Asia to test several TV-set designs.

Focus Taiwan followed up with a story of its own purporting that Foxconn was testing 46 to 55-inch Apple television sets, incorrectly assuming fresh Apple TV-related gear would have been showcased at January’s CES show in Las Vegas.

If the iTV is in the works, Apple might turn to Corning for the cover glass as Gorilla Glass “helps deliver on the promise of high definition and 3D TV” while “supporting the sleek, ultra-thin seamless designs that are a popular trend in today’s LCD TV industry”.